Arsonists Destroy French FabLab La Casemate

An artist, engineer, and researcher, Liam makes all kinds of things, including public policy, fine art, electric motorcycles, and computational models. His passion for making is rivaled only by his dedication to ensuring other people have the resources they need to make, too. In that vein, as a 2017 Watson Fellow he's exploring how open workshops democratize and decentralize education, innovation, and industry to make better things, people, and communities.

An artist, engineer, and researcher, Liam makes all kinds of things, including public policy, fine art, electric motorcycles, and computational models. His passion for making is rivaled only by his dedication to ensuring other people have the resources they need to make, too. In that vein, as a 2017 Watson Fellow he's exploring how open workshops democratize and decentralize education, innovation, and industry to make better things, people, and communities.

A French fablab, La Casemate, was burned down by arsonists on November 21st. In Makery’s reporting, shortly after the incident, they wrote:

“Anonymously claimed on November 24 by a text on Indymedia, the purpose of the act was to completely destroy La Casemate, France’s oldest Center for Scientific, Technical and Industrial Culture (CCSTI), described in the text as an “institution that is notoriously toxic for spreading digital culture”…. Contacted by Makery, Neil Gershenfeld, professor at MIT (directly blamed by the arsonists) and founding father of the fablab network, reacted immediately: “While I don’t know enough yet about what happened to be able to comment authoritatively [sic], I am of course shocked and saddened. And surprised—fablabs are pulled by local communities in support of their sustainability, not pushed by anyone.”

An artist, engineer, and researcher, Liam makes all kinds of things, including public policy, fine art, electric motorcycles, and computational models. His passion for making is rivaled only by his dedication to ensuring other people have the resources they need to make, too. In that vein, as a 2017 Watson Fellow he's exploring how open workshops democratize and decentralize education, innovation, and industry to make better things, people, and communities.

An artist, engineer, and researcher, Liam makes all kinds of things, including public policy, fine art, electric motorcycles, and computational models. His passion for making is rivaled only by his dedication to ensuring other people have the resources they need to make, too. In that vein, as a 2017 Watson Fellow he's exploring how open workshops democratize and decentralize education, innovation, and industry to make better things, people, and communities.